Without citing names, Can. Baraka was saddened that there are religious leaders who are extorting money from unsuspecting Christians with promises of giving them services in the name of Jesus, saying that some have turned themselves into gardens by asking followers to ‘sow’ in them before being delivered from their sins
A volunteer counsellor and youth guidance preacher, Rev. Can. Capt. Titus Baraka has blamed church leaders who, by commission or omission, fail to offer concrete advice to followers stuck with social problems, for keeping such believers seeking the advice of witches and other conmen who fleece them of their hard-earned money and resources in return for fruitless guidance.
Capt. Baraka is the Patron and vision bearer for Ddembelyo Restoration Ministries Uganda, a faith based voluntary organization offering free pastoring, counselling and guidance to believers seeking God’s intervention in their personal and social matters, and helping youths find a way of overcoming peer challenges like drug and substance use, drunkenness, making suitable choices for Christian marriages and other related services.
Baraka who was over the weekend delivering a sermon in a prayer service at the ministry’s headquarters at Kirowooza cell, Goma Division in Mukono Municipality, noted that although there are multitudes of churches rightly preaching Jesus Christ as the powerful and healing savior, many do not adequately respond to outcries of their followers tormented by different challenges, leaving them at cross roads.
“As ministers, we are under obligation to let His followers know that He is truly alive, potent and able; if we preach that He is Almighty, let us walk the talk by praying for these people in the name of Jesus, to overcome their pressures; if we insist he can beat the devil, then let us dispel demons in His name because the scriptures give us this mandate in black and white!”
Without citing names, Can. Baraka was saddened that there are religious leaders who are extorting money from unsuspecting Christians with promises of giving them services in the name of Jesus, saying that some have turned themselves into gardens by asking followers to ‘sow’ in them before being delivered from their sins, and cautioned that such people are invoking God’s wrath because he never prescribed such a type of preaching.
Canon Baraka Assigned Caretaker Archdeacon For Feared Bbaale Archdeaconry
The Executive Director for Dembelyo Restoration Ministries, Rev. Esmond Sserunjogi implored believers to always follow Psalm 103 in the bible, which he said implores believers to always thank the Lord with their spirit, and to remember the good things He does for them.
Rev. Sserunjogi disclosed that with effect from next year, the ministry’s programme has been altered to include quarterly prayer services solely for returning to the Lord in return for the good things and services he has offered, for sustenance of His work.
“We want to expand this hall to a multi-purpose block and all this calls for financial assistance. Since we began the ministry in 2008, this is the first time such an arrangement is being put in place and it is coming up as a matter of necessity for expansion of the Lord’s work”, he explained.
Earlier, Evas Beebwa, a spiritual counsellor and a retired head teacher attributed nasty incidents like the rampant suicidal cases among youths to parents who have discarded their parental roles of bringing up their children as God loving and fearing people, by delegating their responsibilities to people like house maids and neighbours.
Explaining further, Beebwa noted, “when the youngsters get to a point of hopelessness, they resort to taking their lives, or seek advice from wrong churches which prioritize other things to offer services as is expected of them; so, you must be careful and scrutinize churches where your children go”.
She also blamed parents who get into domestic brawls before their children, reasoning that when the children associate the parents more with habitual fighters than with good responsible parents, they tend to make irrational decisions in life, including suicide.
The spiritual mother to believers in the ministry, Maama Mary Baraka castigated believers who are reluctant to conduct prayers for themselves and instead wait for some superior people to pray for them, advising that since they know best what pains them, they should right away get into prayers whenever need arises.
Maama Baraka reminded them that if they insist on waiting for specific people to pray for them, they are likely to go back home with their problems intact and with many unanswered questions.
She also advised them to mentor and disciple their children from childhood, citing Proverbs 22 verse 6 urging parents to train children how to live, with a promise that the children will never depart from such ways.
